"Not hammer-strokes, but dance of the water, sings the pebbles into perfection."
— Rabindranath Tagore

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Upcoming events for the week of November 13, 2016

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR BY DANCEWATER

11/14/16 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE SOCIAL

Topic is “Communication Skills for Resilient Communities”. A resilient community must be sustainable for the long haul—but, what can get in the way? Often it is not the absence of technical know-how, but the presence of interpersonal conflicts. At the root of many a conflict is misunderstanding caused by lack of communication. Learn how the nonjudgmental language of feelings and needs can help dissolve disputes, and how empathy can bring people together. Roberta India Wall is the first Asheville resident certified as an NVC trainer by the International Center for Nonviolent Communication. She is also an ordained member of Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, and an active participant in the Asheville Jewish community. Wall moved to Asheville last year from Woodstock, NY to join four generations of family here. In the same year, she gave empowerment, advocacy, and communication trainings on five continents to – parents in Botswana, women in the Guatemala City garbage dump, Israeli and Palestinian activists, HIV health providers in Southern Africa, and Buddhist practitioners in Europe. She also led trainings for NGOs in North and Central America, Africa, and the Mideast. Time is 6:30 PM and location is St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 337 Charlotte Street in north Asheville. Contact Rebecca at palmtree747@gmail.com for more information.

11/14/16 HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM AT UNCA

There will be a campus and community human rights forum at UNCA on “Child Detention in Palestine” with Azadeh Shahshahani, the legal and advocacy director of Project South. Shahshahani has worked in NC and Georgia to protect the human rights of immigrants and Muslim, Middle Eastern and South Asian communities. She has served as a National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director with the ACLU of Georgia and president of the National Lawyers Guild. She has also participated in a delegation investigating the plight of political prisoners in Palestine in April of 2016. Time is noon to 1PM and location is Mountain View Room at the Sherrill Center at UNCA. Cosponsors are Belk Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at UNCA and Just Peace for Israel/Palestine of WNC. For more information, contact jpip@wnc@gmail.com or call 828-319-7652. Quote from Azadeh Shahshaani: “Politicians never saved us. We need our communities. Peoples movements have always been what has propelled us forward. Those most affected need to lead the movement. We do not need allies we need people who love us. And let's go! We need not work in silos. We have to act right now. We need to come together as Latinx people, queer people, black people, Muslim people. Right now. Before the next person is deported, the next woman has her head scarf pulled off, before the next black person is killed by the police.” (Quote came from Amy Cantrell’s facebook feed.)

11/14/16 LECTURE AT UNCA

“Ain’t I A Women? Real Talk on the Metaphysics of Gender” presentation by Robin Dembroff and Melissa Burchard. Free. Time is 7:30 PM and location is Highsmith Student Union.

11/15/16 OPENING RECEPTION FOR EXHIBITION AT UNCA

“All My Relations” exhibit by Shan Goshorn will be at Ramsey Library, Blowers Gallery from November 8 to December 16. There will be an opening reception on November 15 from 5 to 7 PM, with opening remarks by Barbra Duncan and Trey Adcock. This exhibit includes forty black and white photographs of contemporary Cherokee people. They were taken over a 25 year period by Eastern Band artist Shan Goshorn. Goshorn is perhaps better known for her painted photographs (many of which address stereotypes and racism) which she weaves into baskets that now reside in many prestigious collections around the world.

11/15/16 CARAVAN TO STANDING ROCK FROM WNC

The Canary Coalition is organizing a caravan from western North Carolina to Standing Rock, North Dakota. Leaving Tuesday, November 15. We will be delivering medical and other supplies and video-documenting the activities we witness while there. If you are interested in participating or contributing toward this effort please contact 828-631-3447 or email info@canarycoalition.org.

11/15/16 NO DAPL: ASHEVILLE SOLIDARITY WITH STANDING ROCK

We will not settle for re-routing. We will not settle for rescheduling. We will only settle for victory. Stop DAPL by making a point to all the banks that are funding it. In connection with the National Day of Action, join us in our demonstration with other universities across NC and the country. Funds and items will be collected at this event. We are also connecting people attempting to get to ND. Bring protest signs, $$, camping material for donation, and a friend. We Must fight. We Must Win. This is a facebook event. Time is 3 PM and location is Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville.

11/15/16 PUBLIC LECTURE AT WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

Presentation by Fernando Campos addressing obstacles to college for Latina/o students. Free. Held in Niggli Theatre at 5:30 PM.

11/15/16 TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING

Asheville Transit Committee meeting will be from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. Location is the 4th floor police/fire training room at the Municipal Building at 100 Court Plaza in downtown Asheville. Contact City Hall for more information.

11/15/16 LECTURE AT UNCA

“Drifters Project: Plastic and the Anthropocene.” Visiting artist lecture by Pam Longobardi tracking her 2006 discovery of the mountainous global plastic being expelled from the world ocean on remote Hawaiian beaches and its development into a collaborative global artistic research-based project. Free lecture from 2 to 3 PM in the UNC Asheville Humanities Lecture Hall.

11/15/16 FILM SCREENING AT FIRESTORM

“US Election Post-Mortem” will examine Wikileaks, election fraud, endless wars of empire - stories the US corporate media still are not telling us. Featuring selected news clips and commentaries by journalist Chris Hedges, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, satirist Lee Camp on “Redacted Tonite,” Wikeleaks founder Julian Assange, on the under reported content of Hillary’s e-mails, and relevant portions from RT News’ top rated commentary and debate program, “Crosstalk.” Sponsored by Asheville Citizens Accountability Project. Time is 6:30 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Barbara at 828.686.8301 for more information.

11/16/16 REBUILDING AFFRILACHIA - PEARSON PLAN WORKSHOP

DeWayne Barton will be offering a Pearson Plan Workshop on November 16 from 5 to 6 pm at the Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton Street, in Asheville. Learn more about this plan for Rebuilding Affrilachia and how you can be a part of it. There is no charge for the workshop, though contributions to support the Pearson Plan will be accepted. If you'd like to be part of this, please join him; there is no pre-registration necessary. Questions? Email info@hoodhuggers.com.

11/16/16 GREEN DRINKS

Sustainability and social justice meet-up at The Block off Biltmore at 39 S. Market Street in downtown Asheville. This starts at 5:30 PM with socializing and the presentation starts at 6 PM. Contact Asheville Green Drinks for more information. This happens on the third Wednesday of the month.

11/16/16 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE EVENT

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 6:30 to 8:30 PM. “Calling People In” led by David Greenson; meeting at Firestorm Books & Cafe. Many of us either stay silent or get into arguments when we hear racist comments, neither of which will begin the essential process of educating and "calling in" of white people to become part of multi-racial coalitions for racial justice. Role play conversations to be better prepared when opportunities arise. “Calling People In” is part of Asheville SURJ's “What's Up with Whiteness Wednesday (WUWW)” series. Contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@lainschell.com for more information. Firestorm website lists 6 PM for the start of the “What’s Up With Whiteness Wednesday” event and says this: What's Up with Whiteness Wednesdays is an ongoing ASURJ series endeavoring to dismantle white supremacy. The "Title Track" part of the WUWW series will generally repeat on the first Wednesday of the month. What's Up with Whiteness functions to explore what "white" means, and how it was created as a racial group to implement a white supremacy culture in the United States. This group is for anyone who is willing and able to explore their whiteness or whiteness as a race with a racial justice lens. We aim to dismantle white supremacy’s power by exploring it from the inside. We will educate ourselves and each other about the political and social origins of “whiteness,” educate ourselves and each other on white supremacy culture functions, hold our personal experiences and benefits from whiteness accountable and responsible for change, build skills to address internalized dominance and make change, build relationships with others to further imbue these lessons and build accountability. Sounds like two different events, but I suspect they are the same event.

11/16/16 GREENWORKS COMMUNITY ORCHARD PLANTING

Join team Doubletree as we plant 12 Pear trees in the Deaverview Community Orchard. Tools, trees and laughs provided. Time is 10 AM to 2 PM. Location is 275 Deaverview Road in Asheville. If you're interested in volunteering, please email: volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org or ph 232-7144.

11/16/16 MOUNTAIN HOUSING OPPORTUNITY HOUSEWARMING PARTY

Save the Date for MHO's 2016 Housewarming Party! It's on Wednesday, November 16th, from 6:30 to 9 PM, at The Venue on 21 North Market Street in downtown Asheville. Tickets are $40 each or $75 for two. Call 828-254-4030 for more information. This is a facebook event.

11/16/16 FRENCH BROAD COMMUNITY ENERGY FORUM

We are gathering to share ideas about energy efficiency opportunities and to create a constructive space to discuss how we can work through potential barriers to build a resilient and energy efficient community together. Join us as we talk with French Broad EMC members, service agency providers, local leaders and French Broad EMC staff about the benefits of a program called “on-bill” financing, that would finance home energy upgrades, like insulation or caulking. During the meeting we hope to: hear your stories about your experience with managing your energy bills and your home’s energy use; update you on our conversations with French Broad Electric about expanding their successful heat pump financing program to include even more home energy upgrades; facilitate a dialogue about how we can make “on-bill” financing work for French Broad Electric and discuss how we can work through the barriers to build a resilient and energy efficient community together. Time is 11 AM and location is Madison County Cooperative Extension office at 258 Carolina Lane in Marshall. Free lunch and refreshments will be provided. Contact Eliza Laubach at eliza@appvoices.org or (828) 338-9838 with questions and for information on how to get a ticket. This is a facebook event.

11/17/16 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING

Join the Creation Care Alliance of WNC for a general meeting as we inspire one another to good work and discuss our work empowering care for creation. We will connect with one another and explore ways to care for creation. Everyone is welcome. The meeting will be held in the First Baptist Church of Asheville in Room MB306, which is upstairs. Address is 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville. Time is 5:30 to 7 PM. If you have any questions, please contact Scott Hardin-Nieri at scott@creationcarealliance.org.

11/17/16 YOUR VOICE, YOUR FUTURE TOWN HALL

WLOS is hosting a “Your Voice, Your Future” Town Hall November 17th at 8 PM. It will be held at the Western North Carolina Agriculture Center. The topic is the “Asheville's Housing Crisis.” The purpose of the Town Hall is to address concerns the residents of Asheville have about finding affordable places to live. Can the average person who works in a restaurant Downtown afford to live Downtown? Is obtaining the ‘American Dream’ realistic anymore for struggling families? The program will cap off a week of special reports by News 13 Investigative Reporter Jennifer Emert. She has spent weeks researching and interviewing experts on the subject. Many of the issues she will address in her reporting will be part of the discussion. We hope by having this conversation, there will be a better understanding of what housing options are available in Asheville now and in the future. The panel of experts include: Scott Dedman: Executive Director, Mountain Housing Opportunities, Chip Kassinger: Founder Kassinger Development Group, Gordon Smith: Asheville City Council (Chair of the Housing and Development Committee), and Sen. Terry Van Duyn: (D) 49th District of NC. This Town Hall is similar in format to the other Town Halls WLOS has produced.

11/17/16 FILM SCREENING AT FIRESTORM

“Moving Beyond Capitalism” speaks to the widespread quest for concrete alternative ways forward in the face of the prevailing corporatocracy. It examines a number of institutions and practices now being built in the nooks and crannies of present societies and that point beyond capitalism toward as more equal, participatory, and democratic society – institutions such as co-operatives, public banks, the commons, economic democracy. This seminal collection draws on academic and activist voices from the U.S., Mexico, Cuba, Argentina and a variety of perspectives – Marxism, anarchism, feminism, and Zapatismo. Cliff DuRand is a life long political activist and retired Philosophy professor. Born and raised in North Dakota, he spent 40 years of his adult life teaching at Morgan State University, a Historically Black University in Baltimore. Since retiring, Cliff and his wife Julie, moved to San Miguel, Mexico where he helped found the Center for Global Justice in 2004. Time is 6 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/18/16 WNC PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MEETING

Physicians, health personnel and everyone; all are welcomed at our monthly meetings held on the third Friday of each month. Bring a brown bag lunch around noon. This will be held at The First Congregational United Church of Christ, Room E205, at 20 Oak Street (just off College St. in downtown Asheville). Time is noon to 2 PM. Meeting starts at 12:30. Parking is available behind the church. Enter the church or ring doorbell at the glass doors on Oak Street. For more information contact Dr. Terry Clark, Chair, 633-0892 or Dr. Lew Patrie, 299-1242.

11/18/16 FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE IN DOWNTOWN HENDERSONVILLE

“A Thousand Cranes” is presented by Studio 52. Time is 7 PM. Repeat shows on 11/19/16 and 11/20/16 at 2 PM. Tickets are $10 to $18. Call 693-0731 for more information.

11/19/16 ASHEVILLE IWW MEETING

The IWW is a member-run union for all workers, a union dedicated to organizing on the job, in our industries and in our communities. IWW members are organizing to win better conditions today and build a world with economic democracy tomorrow. We want our workplaces run for the benefit of workers and communities rather than for a handful of bosses and executives. All workers are welcome at the meeting, and we can discuss any topics of concern. Time is 7 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/19/16 HARD TO RECYCLE COLLECTION IN ARDEN

This will be from 10 AM to 2 PM at 2310 Hendersonville Road in Arden. And a word from Greenworks: never put hard-to-recycle items or any kind of plastic bag or plastic film in with your curbside recyclables (other than blue recycling bags). The blue bags are emptied and removed early in the sorting process at the recycling facility as plastic bags and film clog recycling equipment forcing operations to shut down for workers to cut that material off by hand with boxcutters! Note: Be sure to pull out the plastic liner bags out of your cereal boxes before you throw them into your recycling bin. Check that no chip and snack bags or regular and resealable (zipper) bags, snuck into your bin, too! If you're interested in volunteering, email: volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org or call 232-7144.

11/20/16 DEEPENING AND LIVING NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION

Deepening and Living Nonviolent Communication: A one day immersion for continuing students and practitioners of NVC. Join us for a special day where we will gather in a community of learners, seekers and practitioners to support each other and deepen how we are living and practicing Nonviolent Communication. The focus of this day is deepening and practicing awareness of our needs and empathy. This one day immersion will take place in a private location in Kenilworth in Asheville on Sunday, November 20 from 10 AM to 4 PM. The requested fee is $100. Scholarships and sliding scale are available. Please contact eryka@eryka.com for assistance and for more information. The prerequisite for this day is completion of an NVC training course either online or in person with Roberta or any other NVC trainer.

11/20/16 ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE MEETING

Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville will have a presentation on “The Consequences of Pervasive Poverty” by Dr. John Clarke. Dr. Clarke will discuss some of the causes of poverty in the United States, but the focus will be on the consequences of poverty. Poverty has a great impact on early life development, and that has a long-range effect of deprivation on people and ultimately on society. Dr. John Clarke has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship. He has taught at the college level, worked in community health and in private business. The primary focus of his work was with the seriously mentally ill, the developmentally disabled and victims of physical injury. Time is 2 to 3:30 and location is the Asheville Friends Meeting House at 227 Edgewood Road in Asheville. All are welcome. For more information call 828 687-7759 or email EHSAsheville@gmail.com.

11/21/16 CAMPAIGN FOR SOUTHERN EQUALITY FAMILY DINNER

LGBTQ people and allies of all ages are invited to join us for an Asheville Family Dinner. If you can, please bring a favorite dish or drink to share. We're gathering to support each other as a community and CSE staff will be on hand to talk and answer questions about how we will move forward. Time is 5:30 PM and location is First Congregational UCC Asheville at 20 Oak Street in downtown Asheville. Questions: Lindsey@southernequality.org or 828.242.1559.

11/23/16 THE NEW JIM CROW BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

This is a monthly discussion group of Michelle Alexander's book “The New Jim Crow.” This is on Wednesday from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Firestorm Bookstore & Cafe at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. This monthly discussion group of Michelle Alexander's book the "The New Jim Crow" will discuss a chapter a month. In September we will cover Chapter One. This group will meet September 28, October 26, November 23, December 28, and January 25, 2017 and maybe one more in February. Anyone is welcome to jump in anytime. Led by Eryka Lynn Peskin. Contact Firestorm for more information.

11/25/16 PROTEST HEWLETT PACKARD AT BEST BUY

Just Peace Israel/Palestine will be on South Tunnel Road in front of Best Buy from 11:30 AM to 1 PM to hand out flyers about Hewlett Packard. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information

12/14/16 JUST PEACE ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING

This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information

12/20/16 TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING

Asheville Transit Committee meeting will be from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. Location is the 4th floor police/fire training room at the Municipal Building at 100 Court Plaza in downtown Asheville. Contact City Hall for more information.

*******************************************

ONGOING EVENTS

*******************************************

TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument during most of the year, but after DST kicks in, they meet at 4:30 PM.

Showing Up for Racial Justice at Firestorm Cafe and Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. 10 AM. Educating and organizing white people for racial justice. Free.

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

French Broad Riverkeeper has a paddle-n-plant to prevent sediment erosion most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Registration required at anna@mountaintrue.org.

Green Grannies Book Club meets at noon at Firestorm at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville.

“What’s Up With Whiteness” discussion group at 6 PM at Firestorm at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville.

Green Drinks meets at 7 PM at The Block Off Biltmore on the third Wednesday of the month.

Sierra Club meets at 7 PM at Unitarian Universalist in Asheville on the first Wednesday of the month.

THURSDAY

Political Prisoners Letter Writing at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 6 PM on fourth Thursday of the month. Materials provided.

Political documentary film and discussion at Firestorm Cafe 6:30 PM on the third Thursday of the month. Sponsored by Asheville Citizens Accountability Project.

Welcome Home Tour by Homeward Bound on the third Thursday of the month at 11 AM. Call 258-1695 for more information.

FRIDAY

Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville.

SATURDAY

Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard. Call 884-3435 to confirm.

French Broad Riverkeeper has a paddle-n-plant to prevent sediment erosion most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Registration required at anna@mountaintrue.org.

MountainTrue holds urban forest workdays on the second Saturday of the month at Richmond Hill Park from 9 AM to 1 PM. Call 258-8737 for more information.

Citizen’s Climate Lobby meeting at 12:30 PM at Kairos West Community Center on second Saturday of the month.

SUNDAY

Asheville National Organization for Women meeting at 2:30 PM at YWCA of Asheville on second Sunday of the month.

*******************************************

ACTIONS AND READINGS

*******************************************

Without telling the public, the U.S. started and ended a new bombing campaign in Libya

U.S. conducted 367 airstrikes in Libya over three months, then quietly stopped, holding no briefings or hearings

The United States was bombing Libya again, although you might not have known it. And you wouldn’t be the only one — the U.S. government launched the war in August without telling the public. Then, on Oct. 31, the U.S. quietly ended the bombing campaign, once again without notifying its own citizens. The only reason we know this is because anonymous U.S. defense officials told Fox News that the war had wrapped up. Micah Zenko, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that there was not a single White House, Pentagon or State Department briefing on the three-month bombing campaign, nor was there a congressional hearing.

From Aug. 1 until the end of October, the U.S. military conducted 367 airstrikes in Libya. Its goal was to beat back militants from the Islamic State, who seized control of the city Sirte, establishing their largest so-called caliphate outside of Iraq and Syria. ISIS has exploited the chaos wrought by the U.S.-backed 2011 war in Libya. NATO carried out a regime change operation to topple longtime strongman Muammar Qadhafi, effectively destroying Libya’s central government in the process, plunging the oil-rich North African country into chaos and a civil war from which it is still reeling. Zenko said it is appropriate that this bombing campaign “will end as a began, by leaks from anonymous DOD officials.”

“War by press release, leaks, and selective video clips,” he quipped.

When U.S. officials told journalists about the new, unilateral bombing campaign in Libya in August — which got little, and inadequate, attention in the media — the Department of Defense said it would take just a few weeks. President Obama twice approved to extend the bombing campaign by an additional month. Obama himself had personally authorized the open-ended war, using the George W. Bush administration’s 9/11-era legislation the Authorization of the Use of Military Force, or AUMF. (Today, some lawmakers are calling for the AUMF to be repealed, describing it as a “blank check for endless war”.)

Citing U.S. defense officials, Fox News reported that some airstrikes in Libya were conducted using Marine Harrier jets and Cobra attack helicopters, but the majority were done with drones.

A senior Pentagon official told Fox News that the U.S. military has not ruled out more bombing in the future, and will “continue to provide military support to the GNA,” the Government of National Accord, Libya’s internationally recognized but dysfunctional, even ineffectual, putative government. U.S. special forces have also been on the ground in Libya for months. They, too, were deployed without notifying the public.

Before the 2011 regime change operation, Libyans had one of the highest standards of living in all of Africa. Today, three different governments claim authority in Libya, and small militant groups, many of which are extremist in orientation, are battling for control of swaths of the country. A report by the British Parliament, released in September, showed that the 2011 NATO war in Libya was based on an array of lies. The Libyan people have suffered the most in the aftermath. Thousands have been killed, and millions have been displaced. By 2014, 1.8 million Libyans — nearly one-third of the country’s entire population — had fled to Tunisia. Many more have sought refuge in Europe. The destruction of Libya has further fueled the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Libya was the seventh Muslim-majority country the Obama administration was bombing. In 2015, the U.S. dropped 23,144 bombs on the other six countries. In several of these countries, such as Somalia and Pakistan, the U.S. has not even officially declared war. The U.S. is also bombing ISIS in Iraq and Syria, while backing a Saudi-led coalition’s brutally destructive war in Yemen, and continuing covert drone bombing there. In Afghanistan, the U.S. war just entered its 16th year, while civilians continue to suffer. In post-9/11 America, war has become a non-issue — commonplace, quotidian, not even discussed in the presidential election. The U.S. government quietly begins, conducts and ends wars, without input from the public.

Ben Norton is a politics reporter and staff writer at Salon. You can find him on Twitter at @BenjaminNorton.

“Today as never before in their history Americans are enthralled with military power. The global military supremacy that the United States presently enjoys--and is bent on perpetuating--has become central to our national identity. More than America's matchless material abundance or even the effusions of its pop culture, the nation's arsenal of high-tech weaponry and the soldiers who employ that arsenal have come to signify who we are and what we stand for.” --Andrew Bacevich in The New American Militarism